“Yeah, shit indeed,” I agreed.
“Then why are you here and not back there with her?” Maysie asked.
“Because I’m not sure she’ll have me,” I told her, admitting my biggest fear.
Maysie snorted. “Oh she’ll have you. No need to worry about that.”
I shook my head. “You don’t understand. I told her I loved her. I laid it all out there but she doesn’t believe me. She doesn’t think I have it in me to commit to her.”
“Do you blame her?” Maysie asked.
“Fuck no, I don’t blame her! I just don’t know what to do to convince her.”
Maysie sat down beside me on the bed and patted my back. “You poor, lovesick idiot. Girls aren’t that hard to figure out, you know,” she tsked.
“Then do tell, oh wise lady!” I begged.
“You need a grand gesture. Something that will surprise her. Something Vivian won’t expect. Get romantic with it. Be cliché. We love that stuff.” Maysie smiled.
“Be cliché. I don’t get it,” I mused.
Maysie rolled her eyes. “Guys are so useless.”
She pulled her wallet out of her purse and opened it up. She handed me a ticket.
“Kimble Foundation’s Third Annual Fundraising Gala presents Our Fading Blue.” I looked up at Maysie in confusion. “I don’t get it.”
Maysie pointed to the ticket. “That’s the gala Vivian has coordinated. It’s fancy and a big deal. And what’s more important is that Vivian will be there all dressed up and looking fabulous. You need to rent yourself a tux, get your ass to that gala and sweep her off her feet. That, Cole, is your grand gesture.”
I grinned. “You are one smart cookie. Jordan is a lucky man.”
Maysie grinned back. “And so are you.”
I looked down at the ticket, thinking of Vivian, my smile threatening to split my face in half. “Yes I am, Maysie.”
I stood just inside the large room feeling stiff and uncomfortable. Maybe Maysie was wrong. Because this had the makings of a really bad idea.
I had no idea where Vivian even was. And I had to go to the bathroom. But hell if I was going to try to get these pants down. They looked as though they were spray painted on.
I was anxious and ready to get the romance part over with. I didn’t know what the hell I was going to say. Something told me tapping Viv on the shoulder and saying “Tada!” wasn’t going to cut it.
“You’re looking lost,” a tiny woman said from beside me. I fidgeted in my tight pants and shiny shoes.
“You could say that,” I mumbled, swatting away some glittery shit that was falling from the ceiling.
The lady chuckled. “Do you work for the Kimble Foundation?” she asked.
“What? Uh, no,” I said, distracted by the monstrous ice sculpture thing that looked as though it wanted to eat me. Whose idea was it to put that scary shit in the corner?
“I didn’t think so. Are you here with someone?” Why was this lady bothering me? Couldn’t she tell I wasn’t in the mood for chitchat?
“Not exactly,” I explained, trying to look around for Vivian. Though I wasn’t sure how I could find anything in this huge crowd.
I thought I seen Gracie and Riley but I couldn’t be sure. I knew that they had come with Vivian. Maysie had given me the rundown once we were back in Bakersville.
I hid before they could see me. I didn’t want them to notify Vivian of my presence before she had a chance to see me herself.
Maybe I should have just called Vivian and gone to see her. Screw the romantic gesture. It had been days since we last spoke. She probably wanted to take my head off by now. But Maysie convinced me going grand was the only way to do this.
My pinched ball sack was cussing Maysie out right now.
“Who are you looking for, darling? Let me help you before you pass out.” The little old lady seemed nice enough and she did seem concerned about my overall state at the moment. Not that I blamed her. I was sweating like a pig and fidgeting more than a whore in church.